1/25/07

1998! The year of the big move. Pinehurst, North Carolina here we come!

Everything was going good in Michigan. Family, friends, sports, we couldn't complain. We were content, but we always had the itch. We always wondered what it would be like somewhere else. Heather graduated from college and started getting job interviews. One such interview was in Pinehurst. We thought what the heck, at least we'll get a free vacation out of it.

We both knew the minute we got there that Pinehurst was where we wanted our children to grow up. There was no doubt in either of our minds. It was so beautiful, so serene. This was our place. Within a month of the interview we were on our way.

It meant no ice hockey for Devan, but ample opportunities in soccer and baseball for both boys. We figured that Devan would use his hockey blood and excel at football. I had always pictured him as a heck of a middle linebacker. It would be fine.

Jordan immediately started making a name for himself on the soccer field and the baseball diamond. All the way to North Carolina and he was still the strongest and fastest, although the competition was quite a bit better. Devans physical style won him many fans on the soccer field, and his sweet swing drew many oohs and ahs. Everything was going great.

To our surprise there were a decent amount of kids who liked to play street hockey. They would play at birthday parties, weekend get-togethers, etc. Soon they were getting together during the week to play. The same 7-8 kids played whenever they could. It was great!

Jordan had a friend by the name of Scott. His dad, a local born and raised, was a huge fan of the Carolina Hurricanes. We would talk hockey for hours while the kids played. One night he had a crazy idea, he wanted to start a local inline league. Remember, North Carolina circa 1998 was not exactly the hot bed for hockey. We had our little group that played, and not much else. I figured what the heck, it will give the kids a place to play, I was all for it, although quite skeptical that we could actually get enough kids for a legitimate league. We recruited a few other families to help, and the league was a go. Our life has never been the same, thank you Jeff and Marybeth.